Air bag systems are designed so that the air bag is ideally fully inflated before the occupant contacts the air bag. However, most occupants are not ideally positioned at the location assumed by the air bag system designer. Also, vehicle occupants have greatly varying physical dimensions such as size and weight that complicate airbag positioning during deployment and occupant restraint phases. It is common for many occupants to sit very close to the air bag deployment location(s), which may lead to either ineffective restraint or possible injury from the airbag itself.
For protection against impacts other than from the front of the vehicle, automobiles commonly include airbags that deploy from the side of the occupant. Such airbags are typically deployed from either the upper support of the vehicle or from the occupant's seat. Some airbags, termed side curtain airbags, provide cushioning between vehicle occupant(s) and the doors and windows of a vehicle during a lateral impact. Side curtain airbags can extend from a front pillar (A pillar) all the way to the rear of a vehicle, and in vans or sport utility vehicles the airbags can cover not only the front and second row seats, but may also extend back to a third row of seats. The airbags can extend between any designated set of pillars of the vehicle from the front A pillar, B pillar, C pillar to even the D rear pillar of a vehicle.
Given the numerous positions in which an occupant is expected to be oriented, optimal protection by an airbag is difficult to achieve. Airbags may have a target area or restraint zone intended to contact the occupant when the airbag is deployed. Automatically adjusting the location of this restraint zone, and a catch zone therein, has not yet been adequately achieved. Thus, there is a need for improved airbags that are able to automatically adjust position to most effectively protect an occupant during a collision.